Retirement benefits: Access, participation, and take-up rates

Table 2. Retirement benefits: Access, participation, and take-up rates,1 State and local government workers, NationalCompensation Survey, March 2011

(All workers = 100 percent)

Characteristics

All retirement benefits2

Defined benefit

Defined contribution

Access

Participation

Take-uprate

Access

Participation

Take-uprate

Access

Participation

Take-uprate

All workers

90

85

95

84

78

94

30

17

56

Worker characteristics

Management, professional, and related

92

87

95

87

81

93

31

17

54

Professional and related

92

87

95

87

81

93

29

16

53

Teachers

91

86

95

88

82

93

27

13

48

Primary, secondary, and special education school teachers

99

95

96

99

94

96

21

8

40

Service

84

79

95

76

73

95

27

16

58

Protective service

91

87

96

84

81

97

31

19

60

Sales and office

90

86

95

81

76

94

33

20

60

Office and administrative support

92

87

95

83

78

94

33

19

59

Natural resources, construction, and maintenance

94

90

96

87

84

96

33

18

55

Production, transportation, and material moving

87

84

96

79

76

97

23

13

58

Full time

99

94

95

92

87

94

34

19

56

Part time

41

37

91

38

34

91

10

5

50

Union

97

92

95

95

90

94

28

13

47

Nonunion

84

79

95

74

69

94

32

20

62

Average wage within the following categories:3

Lowest 25 percent

74

70

94

66

62

94

27

15

56

Lowest 10 percent

60

56

94

51

48

94

21

12

57

Second 25 percent

94

89

95

87

81

93

32

18

56

Third 25 percent

95

91

96

89

84

95

31

18

57

Highest 25 percent

98

93

95

94

88

94

31

17

55

Highest 10 percent

97

92

94

92

85

92

35

18

51

Establishment characteristics

Service-providing industries

90

85

95

83

78

94

30

17

56

Education and health services

91

86

95

86

80

93

29

16

53

Educational services

91

87

95

88

82

93

26

12

48

Elementary and secondary schools

92

88

96

91

87

95

19

7

37

Junior colleges, colleges, and universities

86

80

93

77

66

85

48

30

63

Health care and social assistance

93

86

92

70

63

90

54

38

70

Hospitals

95

86

90

69

60

88

59

41

70

Public administration

90

86

95

84

80

95

32

18

58

1 to 99 workers

78

75

96

67

64

95

27

19

70

1 to 49 workers

73

70

95

59

56

94

27

18

67

50 to 99 workers

87

84

97

80

77

97

27

20

74

100 workers or more

91

87

95

86

81

94

31

17

54

100 to 499 workers

87

84

96

80

76

95

27

15

57

500 workers or more

93

88

95

88

82

93

32

17

53

State government

93

87

94

87

78

90

43

26

60

Local government

89

85

95

83

79

95

26

14

53

Geographic areas

New England

84

81

97

80

78

97

–

–

–

Middle Atlantic

92

85

92

88

80

90

19

10

52

East North Central

85

81

95

80

75

95

43

15

36

West North Central

89

81

91

77

65

84

32

–

–

South Atlantic

91

85

93

88

80

91

45

19

41

East South Central

92

89

96

83

80

97

25

17

68

West South Central

90

87

98

77

75

98

25

18

72

Mountain

89

86

97

83

81

97

21

14

69

Pacific

92

90

98

88

86

98

25

22

87

1The take-up rate is an estimate of the percentage of workers with access to a plan who participate in the plan, rounded for presentation. See Technical Note for more details.

2Includes defined benefit pension plans and defined contribution retirement plans. Workers are considered as having access or as participating if they have access to or are participatingin at least one of these plan types.

3The categories are based on the average wage for each occupation surveyed, which may include workers with earnings both above and below the threshold. The average wages arebased on the estimates published in the "National Compensation Survey: Occupational Earnings in the United States, 2010." See Technical Note for more details.

NOTE: Dash indicates no workers in this category or data did not meet publication criteria. For definitions of major plans, key provisions, and related terms, see the "Glossary of EmployeeBenefit Terms" at www.bls.gov/ncs/ebs/glossary20102011.htm.